Bill Donohue addresses accused priests and rabbis:

Today, the New York Times has a story on a Bridgeport priest who was arrested, Msgr. Kevin Wallin; it is the second story on him. So far this year, two New York rabbis have been arrested, each meriting one story in the Times: Rabbi Yoel Malik was arrested on January 31, and Rabbi Nathan David Rabinowich was arrested on February 14. (Only the print editions are being counted.)

• Msgr. Wallin was arrested for drugs.
• Rabbi Malik was arrested for sexually abusing three teenage boys. He was charged with 12 counts of sexual abuse, 4 counts of criminal sexual contact, 11 counts of endangering the welfare of a child, and a single charge of forcible touching.
• Rabbi Rabinowich was charged with four sexual offenses, including the attempted rape of a 14-year-old girl.

The total number of words in the Times story on the priest is 3496 (today’s front-page story merited 2745 words). The total number of words on the two rabbis combined is 828 (the stories appeared on pages 22 and 25, respectively). It’s not just the Times that gives rabbis a pass: the New York Daily News had two stories on Malik (only mentioning him by name in one!); the New York Post ran one story on him; the Daily News ran one story on Rabinowich; and the Post had none.

Wallin has multiple problems (he is a cross-dressing drug addict and, like Malik, he is a practicing homosexual). But he is not a child rapist. So why the heightened interest in him, and the relative disinterest in the rabbis? It obviously doesn’t turn on the nature of the offense.

Malik’s arrest came less than two weeks after another member of his ultra-Orthodox Jewish group, an unlicensed therapist, was sentenced to 103 years in prison for sexually abusing a young woman from the time she was 12. By the way, a rabbi who publicly criticized this rapist had a cup of bleach thrown at him, burning his eyes and face. It never made the front page of any newspaper.

Bill Donohue comments on a documentary nominated for an Oscar:

In their classic work, After the Ball: How America Will Conquer Its Fear and Hatred of Gays in the 90s, Marshall Kirk and Hudson Madsen, both homosexual, said that most problems in the gay community are attributable to a rejection of morality. The most common effect of amorality, they said, is narcissism. Narcissism is the only word that adequately explains the reaction of gays to AIDS: it was everyone’s fault but theirs. If anyone has any doubt about this, he should watch “How to Survive a Plague.”

The documentary, which is up for an Oscar, is the work of David France, a talented gay writer. Mayor Ed Koch, ever honest, accuses ACT-UP of using “fascist tactics.” Fascism was certainly on display when gays, led by ACT-UP, rushed St. Patrick’s Cathedral in December 1989: they disrupted Mass, spat the Eucharist on the floor, stopped people from going to Communion, etc. The film shows some of this.

Gay activists in the 1980s and early 1990s were convinced that everyone from President Reagan to the Food and Drug Administration were impeding progress for a cure to their self-inflicted disease. But no institution was blamed more than the Catholic Church. Ann Northrop led the charge. “We want everybody to join us, to support us, to destroy the power of the Catholic Church,” she said. “They are all murderers.” Her lesson did not go unheeded: protesters are shown in St. Pat’s screaming, “You’re killing us. Stop it.”

Though the movie was made to garner admiration, it accomplishes nothing of the sort. But it does elicit pity, especially for Ray Navarro. He liked to dress up as Jesus and was known to be off the wall, but the footage of him in his dying days is truly moving. There he is, in a wheelchair, knowing he was finished, saying, “There are many years to come. Let’s hope. So, what the hell—life is worth living. Isn’t it?” The poor devil died at the age of 46.

Bill Donohue comments on Friday night’s “Real Time” show with Bill Maher, and the “Saturday Night Live” episode that aired the next night:

It was quite a weekend for the haters. Speaking of Pope Benedict XVI, Maher said, “Benedict told them he was going to resign because the Church needs a fresh young face. Somewhere other than a priest’s lap.” He then mocked the Church’s teachings, imploring Catholics to quit. He ended his rant by condemning Catholicism for being “hostile towards women,” comparing the Church to the Taliban.

“Saturday Night Live” (SNL) usually hits above the belt, but the segment it did on Jesus and the apostles on February 16 was vicious. The skit, “Djesus Uncrossed,” was a take-off of “Django Unchained,” the extraordinarily violent film that has been the source of much controversy. The SNL segment was itself uncharacteristically bloody; there was also a snide remark by the announcer saying the skit was less violent than “The Passion of the Christ.”

Imagine what might happen if the Catholic Church succeeded in detaining women at St. Patrick’s Cathedral for dressing improperly? Well, just last week, ten women were detained by the Israeli police for praying at the Western Wall wearing prayer shawls (only men are allowed to wear the shawls at the holy site). Imagine how much fun Maher could have with that? But he doesn’t have the guts to go there.

Over the weekend, Muslims in Egypt set fire to a Christian church—the second in a month. The church’s cross was torn down and Christians were stoned by these barbarians. Imagine how much fun SNL could have with that? But they don’t have the guts to go there.

For Maher, contact Richard Plepler: richard.plepler@hbo.com

For SNL, contact Jennifer Salke: jennifer.salke@nbcuni.com

Bill Donohue comments on reaction to the pope’s resignation:

The decision of Pope Benedict XVI to retire has elicited a surge of unsolicited advice on how the Catholic Church must change. Paradoxically, most of it is coming from those who are not exactly connected to the Church: we are hearing from ex-Catholics, those with one foot out the door, and non-Catholics. Much of their advice has to do with sex, proving once again that it is not the Church that is obsessed with sex—it is the Church’s critics.

Can the Church change? On some teachings, of course. As Judge John T. Noonan Jr. has demonstrated, the Church has evolved on slavery, usury, religious freedom, and divorce. Moreover, it has modified its teachings on subjects ranging from celibacy to the role of Jews in the crucifixion. While capital punishment is not an intrinsic evil, Pope John Paul II narrowed its legitimate exercise. So if these changes, and many others, have been made, why can’t there be more? There can be, at least on some teachings. The question is whether there should be.

The Catholic League is positively agnostic on these issues. We are not an advisory group, nor are we a theological debating society. We are a civil rights organization. Our job is to defend the right of the Church to proclaim the Gospel as it sees fit. Moreover, we adamantly reject the notion that there can be parallel teaching bodies: the Magisterium, which is the pope in communion with the bishops, is the sole teaching body of the Catholic Church. It is their rights we defend. All we ask for is a respectful hearing.

Everyone, of course, is entitled to offer advice. But those who are no longer practicing Catholics, or who never were, cannot expect a serious hearing. This has to be said now because over the next several months we are likely to witness an explosion in voyeurism, as well as downright meddling, in the internal affairs of the Catholic Church.

Bill Donohue comments on remarks made yesterday by Illinois State Senator Martin Sandoval on the floor of the Illinois Senate:

Senator Sandoval, a Catholic, voted in favor of gay marriage yesterday. Although that puts him at odds with the Church’s teachings, it is certainly something he is entitled to do. What he is not entitled to do is to mock the Catholic Church.

Speaking sarcastically, Sandoval spoke of the “stellar record of morality and example” set by the Catholic Church. This was followed by, “Quite the contrary my fellow senators, quite the contrary.” He then went on a rant about his days in the seminary.

Sandoval said he experienced alcoholism and homosexuality, and “even met men that were pedophiles.” But none were guilty of any wrongdoing. Indeed, it was through “no fault of their own” that they descended to such a level. Then he unloaded: the culprit was “the Church and its leaders who did not provide any support to these—to these good men of faith.”

Senator Sandoval owes Catholics an apology; then this issue can be put to rest. If he wants to disagree with the Church, that is his business. But to let loose this way is inexcusable. No wonder many of his colleagues were embarrassed.

Everyone knows there are morally flawed persons in the Church, some seriously so, but that hardly justifies making a sweeping indictment of the institution. No one credits the entire Catholic Church for the good deeds of Mother Teresa. Ergo, no one should condemn the entire Catholic Church for the misdeeds of its members.

Contact Sen. Sandoval’s office: msandoval@senatedem.ilga.gov

Bill Donohue comments on David Letterman’s latest cheap shots:

On February 11 and 13, David Letterman got a little too cute for us. We didn’t say anything on Tuesday about Monday night’s shots, but when spliced together with last night’s, it suggests a disturbing pattern.

On Monday, after twice saying the pope has “a chronic neck problem,” Letterman let loose with, “He’s got a chronic neck problem and apparently the chronic neck problem is for looking the other way so many times.” He then said the Vatican “is already holding auditions to see who might be the next pope and we have one of those auditions that’s going on.” Footage was then shown of acrobats taking off their shirts and then performing for the pope; he looks on while rock music is played.

Last night, Letterman said that besides looking for someone who is a biblical scholar and at least 60 years old, the Vatican is looking for “a guy who is good at transferring creepy priests.”

Letterman’s attack on the pope and gays is despicable. (Though he didn’t cite gays by name, we all know who he meant.) In fairness, just because most molesting priests have been homosexuals, doesn’t mean that most gay priests are molesters. Moreover, when the homosexual scandal was going on (mid-60s to mid-80s), therapy and rehabilitation were sold by the liberal elite as the preferred means of redress.

It is bad enough when someone who carries the baggage of sexual harassment is also guilty of serial adultery. Even worse is when that same person keeps throwing stones at those accused of sexual wrongdoing.

Perhaps at his next weekly session with his shrink (click here), Letterman will discuss this issue. Meanwhile, he ought to refrain from taking sweeping shots at homosexuals, however nuanced they may be.

Contact his publicity director, Kim Izzo-Emmet: krizzo-emmet@cbs.com

• Garry Wills [ex-seminarian]: “What we really need are no priests.”
• James Carroll [ex-priest]: The pope “has seen only a solemn obligation to defend the church.” [Italic added.]
• Richard Sipe [ex-priest]: “Certainly, he did a lot, but it was all reactionary.” [Italic added.]
• Daniel Maguire [ex-priest]: The “scandal of the papacy [is] one of the last absolute monarchies in a democratizing world.”

• Ronald Lauder, president, World Jewish Congress: “The papacy of Benedict elevated Catholic-Jewish relations to an unprecedented level.”
• Abraham Foxman, national director, ADL: “He [the pope] was good for the Jews.”
• Rabbi Yona Metzger, Israel’s chief Ashkenazic rabbi: Benedict’s papacy exhibited “the best relations ever between the church and the chief rabbinate.”

• Imam Hassan Qazwini, Islamic Center of America: “I have so much admiration for the pope, for being honest and humble.”
• Nihad Awad, national director, Council on American-Islamic Relations: “We offer the American Muslim community’s best wishes to Pope Benedict XVI.”

• Geoff Tunnicliffe, secretary general, World Evangelical Alliance: “I appreciate his [the pope’s] courage of ideas…and his boldness in warning us of the dangers of moral relativism….”
• Rev. R. Albert Mohler, president, Southern Baptist Theological Seminary: “Pope Benedict has offered a brave and intelligent defense of truth against a relativist tide.”

Bill Donohue, who put this together, opines: “I could offer many other examples, but the point is obvious: embittered ex-seminarians and ex-priests suffer not only from profound anger—ultimately directed at themselves—but their perception of Catholicism makes them look twisted in comparison to the sentiments of Jews, Muslims, Protestants, and others.”

Bill Donohue comments on last night’s edition of “Entertainment Tonight” (ET):

Pope bashers are coming out of the woodwork, so it is hard to keep up with all of them. But the vile hit piece on the pope that aired on ET is clearly one of the worst.

“The Pope’s Past” begins with correspondent Brian Ross complaining that many years ago he was slapped on the wrist by Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger. The occasion for this “brutality” was Ross’ decision to badger the cardinal while the would-be pope was walking to a car. Ross said, “It actually stung.” He did not say whether he was rushed to the local ER.

Next up is a promo for the documentary “Mea Maxima Culpa,” a classic agit-prop flick that is strewn with lies. Viewers learn that Pope Benedict XVI investigated, “but without much effect,” the charges levied against Father Marcial Maciel. Another savant asks, “Did Benedict punish him in any way?” To which he exclaims, “no.” Really? Then why is Benedict being credited by even his staunchest critics for removing Maciel from ministry and launching a Vatican take-over of his religious order?

The ET segment then says “the film implies that the pope…was at the epicenter” of the scandal. Agreed. That’s all the film does is imply. When there is no evidence to support outrageous claims, mud-slinging is all that is left. Similarly, we learn that documents on priestly wrongdoing “are said to be kept in secret Vatican archives.” More innuendo. Absent evidence, conjecture is the best they can do.

Then they roll out the paranoid attorney Jeffrey Anderson. “There is an enormous worldwide conspiracy—a cover-up at the highest level in the Catholic Church.” Not mentioned was the fact that all of his lawsuits to get the Vatican have failed. Indeed, they have been laughed out of court.

ET owes Catholics an apology for this Mafioso-style propaganda exercise.

Contact ET executive producer Linda Bell Blue: linda.bell@cbs.com

Bill Donohue comments on the firing of an Ohio Catholic high school dean of students for supporting gay marriage on his blog:

ABC News is breaking out all over with its hot story about a Catholic official from Purcell Marian High School who was fired for rejecting Catholic teachings on marriage and the family. Now, of course, all the Catholic bashers are foaming at the mouth.

This issue has nothing to do with the firing of the Cincinnati administrator—the Left would have applauded if he were fired for making anti-gay remarks—it has everything to do with offending liberal sensibilities. And when it comes to firing employees for making statements liberals don’t like, the Left has no rival.

• In 2010, Juan Williams was fired from National Public Radio (NPR) because his employer objected to comments he made about Muslims on a television station unaffiliated with NPR.
• In 2012, Pat Buchanan was fired from MSNBC because he wrote a book his employer didn’t like.
• In 2010, Octavia Nasr was fired from CNN because she praised a radical imam on Twitter.
• In 2012, a reporter for the Houston Chronicle was fired for posting on her blog that she was a part-time stripper.
• In 2012, an African American female meteorologist was fired for replying to a racist on her Facebook page, even though her comments were inoffensive.

By the way, the station that fired the black woman for responding to a racist was KTBS. It is an ABC affiliate.

In short, Catholics don’t need to be lectured by hypocrites about workplace strictures.

The Catholic League’s 2012 Annual Report on Anti-Catholicism is now available. This comprehensive report documents incidents of anti-Catholicism that emerged last year from many different segments of society: activist organizations; the arts; business and the workplace; education; government; and the media. There is also a miscellaneous section, a sampling of offensive cartoons, and a reprint of some special reports that were published in 2012.

The annual report features an Executive Summary by Bill Donohue that describes the Catholic League’s many battles, and many victories, and offers an overview of the year’s highlights.

Copies are being sent to many in government, education, the media, and law. Religious leaders, including all the bishops, will receive a copy. To order a copy click here, or call our office at 212-371-3191; they are available for $10.